


Adrift

by rumpledspinster



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), ouat
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M, Happy Ending, No Smut, Some angst, baby swanfire, my attempt at a modern day fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 22:37:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10291793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumpledspinster/pseuds/rumpledspinster
Summary: She awakens in Storybrooke hospital's secure ward with no memory of her past. Somehow she escapes and finds protection and a new identity as Lacey in the home of the aloof Mr. Gold. As she slowly remembers who she is, Mr. Gold finds that he is learning a bit about himself as well. Non-magical AU





	

Rosabelle took another sip from the low ball tumbler in her hand, listened as the gold band on her finger tinkled gently against the glass and sighed. She felt the boat rock beneath her feet as the waves crashed against its sides. She crossed the dimly lit cabin, the rich wool carpet soft beneath her bare feet, and sat in the desk chair by the cabin’s porthole window. She pulled off her wedding ring and sat it on the dark wood table with a thunk. She stared at it as she finished off the last of her Scotch mist and began to crunch on the crushed ice that remained in the glass. I should have known from the start, she thought as she watched the dim light from the full moon shine on the plain gold band. Of course he didn’t really love me. No one ever has before, so why should that change now?

 

Rosabelle bit her lip, fighting to hold back tears as she thought back over her life thus far. Her mother had died when she was two. She had no memory of her. Did she love me? Or would she have turned out like everyone else? Her father had always been too busy for her. She doubted that all of the minutes they had spent together would add up to more than a day.

 

  
Her parents had been ridiculously rich, and her childhood had been spent being raised by aloof servants who didn’t seem to be allowed to talk to her. And why would they want to? She had no life experiences to speak of. She was well educated of course. Books were her only respite from her cold and lonely life, but she hadn’t had friends or gone out other than to enjoy her family’s garden.

 

  
She had held on to the belief that her father loved her up until the age of eight when she realized that she had been right in her deep seated fear that he didn’t really care for her. That no one truly cared for her.

 

  
There had been a terrible storm one night. The wind whipped at the windows and walls while rain pelted the house relentlessly causing a cacophony of sound. The power went out and little Rosabelle leapt out of bed and pushed herself back against a corner of her room, her knees brought up to her chest and her stuffed bear held tightly under her chin. Little did she know that a tornado was headed for her home. But the adults of the household knew. Everyone had grabbed what was precious to them and had taken shelter, but no one had come for her. Her own father’s first thought had been to rescue his investment papers.

 

  
Rosabelle cowered in fear as the house shuddered as if it were falling apart around her. Her bedroom window shattered and she screamed as glass and torrential rain seemed to swirl around the room menacingly.

 

  
She stayed in her corner, frozen in fear until the following morning when damage was being assessed by her father and one of his assistants. She still remembered the look on her father’s face as he noticed her cold, wet, and cowering in the corner. He seemed annoyed. He didn’t rush to scoop her up. He didn’t offer her reassuring words. Instead he stormed off and fired her nanny.

 

Rosabelle looked out of the porthole and stared off across the waves. This is my own fault. I was so eager to believe that someone loved me that I was willing to overlook all of the warning signs. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening her eyes as she slowly released it. Gaston had been somewhat of a protégé to her father. At first she had been a bit jealous of the relationship the two men seemed to have, but that jealousy had melted away when Gaston had begun to pay attention to her. He had plied her with compliments and showered her with attention that she had been so starved for.

When her father died unexpectedly he had been there to help her plan. He had encouraged her to see her father’s death as a gift. He had promised her the life he thought she should be leading. A life of extravagant parties and laughter, but that wasn’t the life she wanted. She had married him because she feared being left behind and forgotten. But agreeing to marry him hadn’t changed anything. He seemed to be becoming her father. Always busy. Never any time to spare for her. She had shrugged it off. He was just too much of a perfectionist to allow others to help him.

 

  
She flung the ring off the table in disgust for now she saw it for what it was. Gaston had seen her as no more than a sad and lonely girl who was going to be very rich. He didn’t marry her. He married her money. Why had she let him manipulate her all this time? All the times she had smelled another woman’s perfume on his shirt, caught lipstick on his neck; she had known he was cheating. She had felt it in her bones, but she had held on to doubt. He would get really insensitive when she brought things like that up. He called her crazy and jealous. He had told her that it was from being friendly with his secretary and no more. And fool that she was she had believed him. She had apologized!  
She shuddered with anger at the memory. How could I have let myself be blinded? She threw her empty glass across the room. He had been friendly with his secretary all right! Rosabelle shook her head as she thought about how long it would have taken her to realize that her marriage was a sham. She supposed she should thank his idiot secretary. If said secretary hadn’t texted her “shnookums”, while he was in the shower, asking when he could get away from the “ball and chain” and back to her so they could spend all his new money, perhaps it would have taken her months to realize her mistake.

 

Just then her own cell phone rang and she glanced at the caller listed. Her lawyer. Perfect she thought, I need to talk to him anyway. She answered the phone and was about to share the events of the day with him, but was cut off by his profuse apologies. Apparently ship captains can’t officiate weddings in New York which is where they were docked when the ceremony took place. Rosabelle felt a Gaston sized weight begin to lift off of her shoulders. “So I’m not married?” she couldn’t hide the hopefulness in her tone. Her lawyer was apologizing and trying to explain that now that they were off the coast of Maine they could have the ceremony again. “No!” Rosabelle took a deep breath and kept her tone in check as she explained what had happened and that Gaston had tried to marry her under false pretenses of love. Her lawyer seemed to share her relief upon hearing what had happened and was about to hang up when a thought occurred to him. He warned Rosabelle that if Gaston was truly after her money he might have been planning to do away with her in an effort to get it without strings attached. Rosabelle went pale at his words. She had never considered that. “What should I do?” she asked hesitantly. Her lawyer thought and then replied that she should try to remain civil until they could dock, in the meantime he would file a restraining order for her. She thanked him for his help and promised to call him from the nearby city of Storybrooke once the yacht was docked.

 

 “Razzie?” Gaston’s voice came drifting through the crack in the door. God she hated that nickname! And she had told him so, only to have him tell her “Don’t be so overly sensitive. It makes you seem bitchy. Plus, Razzie is fun sounding.”

  

Belle gritted her teeth as she answered, “What?”

 

“I know you’re pretty mad right now, but it was just a fling. It doesn’t mean anything! She’s just a silly girl who thought my kindness meant something. Please Razzie, open the door and come out to dinner.”

 

Rosabelle thought about what her lawyer had said. Be civil. She sighed. They would be docked in Storybrooke marina soon. Rosabelle took a deep breath. “Fine, but don’t expect me to talk much.”

 

She crossed the floor and opened the door to a relieved looking Gaston. He led her out on to the deck of the boat where a candlelit dinner was waiting for them. He pulled out her chair for her and then took a seat. They had been eating in silence for some time when Rosabelle began to feel odd. Her vision was beginning to blur and she felt a little nauseous. Gaston seemed to notice the change immediately, almost as if he had been waiting for it. “You look like you are about to be sick. Here, let me help you.” He helped her to her feet and led her to the railing. Her eyes tried to focus on the churning waves when all of a sudden she felt Gaston’s large hands grab the bottom of her arse and hoist her up and over the railing. She barely had time to catch her breath before she was falling.

 

Crash! Whoosh! She was freezing. She felt claustrophobic as the water pushed on her from all sides. She struggled to swim, not knowing which way was up and which was down. Finally, she felt herself surface and heard the reassuring sound of the fog horn. She was close to land, she just needed to get her bearings. Her vision was still so blurred she couldn’t be sure that she had chosen the right direction. It sounded like she was moving toward the sound of the fog horn and that gave her courage. She didn’t know how long she had been in the water, only that she was beginning to tire as her limbs began to feel numb and sluggish. But then she saw a light in the distance. A fishing trawler. With her last ounce of strength, she struggled to make her way toward it. When she could swim no more she simply floated and shouted as loud as she could in the hopes that someone on deck would hear her. At last a young looking man in a red rain slicker and black gum boots saw her and sounded the alarm; but as she waited for rescue, the waves picked up and tossed her against the boat. Her head throbbed as it made contact with a thud, then darkness took her.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

It was dark and the room was cold. Where am I? she thought, only to realize that she didn’t even know who she was. Terror gripped her then as she struggled to recall something, anything about herself, her life, or how she came to be here. Wherever here was. She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate as she groped along the walls of the strange room and felt that it had only one door. A door that couldn’t be opened from the inside. She felt terror grip her even as her rational mind told her that there was no immediate cause to be so terrified. She couldn’t explain her feelings, but she now knew something about herself. She was terrified of being alone in the dark.  
She stilled as she heard talking on the other side of her door. The words were muffled, but she heard a very stern sounding woman tell someone that she was suffering from complete amnesia and was a danger to herself and others. That she would be allowed no visitors and would not be released until she recovered her memory and could name someone to whom she could be discharged.

 

  
She slid down the door in despair. No! I can’t stay here! I’ll die if I don’t get out. She pulled her knees to her chest and struggled to breathe as her body trembled. She stilled as she heard sounds of a commotion outside. Garbled shouts of “Stop him!” and “Don’t let him get to the computer terminals!” She heard the sound of a generator switching off and then the click of her door unlocking. She quickly cracked the door and saw that the orderlies were chasing a man down the other end of the hallway. Without thinking, she scrambled into the now empty section of the secure ward and made her way to what looked to be a door to the main part of the hospital. She panicked when she saw that it could only be opened with a key card, but she took a deep breath to try to calm herself and looked around. She seemed to be across from a nurses’ station. As she looked it over, she saw that a nurse had left her coat over a chair and that more importantly her badge was still pinned to it. She scrambled over and grabbed the coat, she pulled the key card through the reader and quickly went through the door. She swung the coat around her and slid her arms through the sleeves. She tossed the badge into a trash can as she tried to plan the next step of her escape.

 

 As she took in her surroundings, she saw that the staff up here seemed to be on edge as well. Not wanting anyone to look too closely at her, she ducked into the first open door she saw.

  
“I think you’re in the wrong room dearie.”  
She spun around to face the direction of the masculine voice. A look of true fear on her face. She backed up quickly, not thinking about what she was doing, only to have her back bump the door and cause it to shut. The sound of it making her flinch and shake.

  
“Papa she looks really scared.” A little boy she hadn’t noticed before was sitting on an exam cot behind the man.  
The man put his hands up in an effort to appear non-threatening. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He crouched as best he could with his bad leg, “Hey now, it’ll be alright. Why don’t you tell me what’s got you so scared?”

  
She was fighting back tears now. She struggled for breath in little gulps as she answered. “Please don’t think I’m crazy. I have amnesia and I don’t remember who I am. I don’t know how I got here. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here. They keep me locked up in a secure ward. They keep me in the dark. I can’t stay in the dark! Please! They won’t let anyone see me and I can’t stay in the dark.”

  
The little boy reached down and pulled on his father’s coat collar. “We can’t leave her here Papa. She’s a damsel in this dress! We have to save her!”

  
She felt a glimmer of hope as she heard the small boy’s words. But that hope wavered when she saw the man roll his eyes and heard him reply, “This isn’t like the fairy stories you hear in school Baeden. This is real life.” But the little boy was persistent. “Ms. Vidia says that stories have morals that teach you how to be in real life. We have to save her Papa!” The man sighed and turned back toward her. “My name is Dresden Gold and this is my very opinionated son Baeden.” Baeden smiled at her, “Don’t worry princess, we’re going to save you.”  
She smiled at the small boy’s kindness.

Mr. Gold helped her to her feet and asked, “What is your name?” She looked scared and sad as she replied, “That’s just it. I don’t know, and they won’t let me leave if I don’t have an identity.” Baeden sounded excited as he bopped up and down on his bottom. “She’s gotta be a princess in disguise. She needs a haleyus like undercover people have.” Mr. Gold shook his head, “You mean an alias son.” Baeden nodded, “yeah that.” Mr. Gold shook his head and muttered, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He looked her over, “We’ll tell people that you are a live in nanny that I hired from out of town.” She nodded, relieved that she would be leaving this place with its dark, cold room.

 

“She needs a name Papa. Something that sounds fancy… like Fancy.” Mr. Gold smirked, “How about Lacey?” he asked as he held his hand out to her. She nodded and felt immense relief in the knowledge that if nothing else, at least she had a name. “Thank you so much Mr. Gold, and especially you Baeden. I promise that I will do my best for you both. I’ll work really hard.” Mr. Gold looked a little sad as he listened to her and saw the hopeful desperation in her face. She reminded him of himself many years ago, and for that he felt great pity. He turned and helped Baeden put on his coat, and grabbed his cane.

Baeden hoped down and took Lacey’s hand in his own. “I’m glad we are leaving too. That mean doctor wouldn’t let me keep the marble.” Lacey scrunched her face in confused amusement, “What marble?” Baeden shook his head sadly, “The one that got stuck in my ear. It was a cat’s eye!” The trio made their way out of the exam room and toward the exit. Lacey stayed as close to Baeden and Mr. Gold as she could as they made their way toward the door. “Why did you put it in your ear?” she asked. Baeden rolled his eyes as if it was obvious, “I wanted to see if it would fit.” He then shook his head sadly and looked up at her, “It didn’t fit.”

 

As they reached the door, a security guard stopped them. He looked hard at Lacey and asked “Who is this?” Mr. Gold put on his most authoritative voice as he answered, “This is my son’s nanny. Now why don’t you stop your poor attempts to flirt with her and go back to whatever it is you do.” The guard look flustered and angry as he asked, “Why does she look so disheveled and why is she wearing a hospital gown?” Lacey answered with a quickness she didn’t know she was capable of. “I’m disheveled because my charge could have died on my watch, and I’m in a hospital gown because the sight of the doctor’s equipment made me woozy and I started to feel faint, but before I hit the floor I knocked over a bottle of betadine and it stained my clothes and shoes beyond repair.” She let go of a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, “But the whole thing is a small price for me to pay just knowing that Baeden is alright.” Baeden beamed up at her and the guard stepped aside.

They quickly went to Mr. Gold’s black Cadillac and once inside, Baeden exclaimed, “That was amazing! I really believed that you were there and that your clothes got messed up. You’re really good at making up stories. Will you tell me stories at bedtime?” Lacey smiled, her heart so much lighter now that they were driving away from her would be dungeon. “I’ll tell you stories every night. That is if your father doesn’t mind?” Baeden quickly answered, “He won’t mind! He’s always too busy to read or tuck me in or stuff like that.” Mr. Gold didn’t answer, his eyes firmly on the road ahead of them. Lacey sighed sadly and turned to look at Baeden in his booster seat and answered, “Then I guess it’s a good thing that you have a nanny.”  
Lacey paid careful attention to the scenery that they passed, hoping that something would look familiar, but she found she had no memories of this town. Perhaps she is from somewhere else then, but where and why did she come here?

 

  
Chapter 3

 

Dresden Gold couldn’t believe what he was doing. Was he really taking in a complete stranger and allowing her to care for his son no less? His brain was screaming that he was an idiot, but deep in his chest he felt that this was a good decision. He sensed something in Lacey; warmth, intelligence, desperation, fear. Dresden could relate to feeling alone and helpless. His ex-wife Milah had left when Baeden was one. She hadn’t wanted anything in the divorce other than to be rid of him and his son.

 

He found out later that she had been cheating on him with her dream man, who was everything her husband was not. Selfish, conceited, and self-absorbed. She had never been a good wife or mother. It had broken Dresden’s heart to know that he had given his son a mother who was no better than both of his own abusive parents who had abandoned him without a thought. He had never wanted that for his son. He believed that a child should be certain of their parent’s love.

 

Baeden’s comment about him always being too busy to do fatherly things was like a knife to the chest. He couldn’t fault the comment. He had struggled heavily with depression since the divorce and he realized now that it had led to him becoming a bit of an absentee father, immersed in his work so often that he had little time for his son. Baeden was six now. Where had the time gone?

 

Time was a fickle thing. Dresden said a silent prayer that Baeden wouldn’t take Lacey’s leaving too hard, because she would leave some day. After all, she will remember her life one day and then she would leave, because who would choose to tie themselves to a spinster who works too hard with a child?

 

  
Chapter 4

 

Lacey was learning little things about herself every day. One of the first things she learned was that she hated being idle. She made herself a whirlwind of doing. She discovered that she had an innate ability when it came to cooking and gardening. It had only been a few weeks since she had begun to make her presence known in the uncared for garden and kitchen, and already the difference was like night and day. The pantry and fridge was full of fresh ingredients and spices, and the garden was tidy, organized, and in bloom. Lacey loved feeling like she was useful to her new employer because after all he had given her so much. He had offered her a home, given her clothes from his shop, he had even gifted her with a name. The name had turned out to be the most wonderful of his gifts, as she found that she felt less lost with it. She had an identity, and that was a start.

 

 

Lacey had also discovered that she had a way with children, at least with Baeden. She had immediately taken to caring for him. She made sure he ate well and exercised with him outdoors. She played with him and took great pleasure from teaching him new things. She loved to see how excited he would get when he would learn something new. He had been so amazed when she had saved the roots of some of the vegetables they had bought to cook with and planted them. He had diligently checked on their progress every day after school and had nearly had a parade when he saw that their garden had begun to sprout and grow. She had taught him how to care for the vegetables, and already he was planning the meals that they would make together using the ingredients.

 

Lacey learned that she could play the piano one Friday afternoon when she had gently reminded Baeden that there was a place for his backpack and it was not the piano bench. She had wiped the dust off of the bench and frowned at the sign of disuse. “Does your father play the piano?” Baeden had looked at the piano as if he was only for the first time realizing that that’s what it was. “I’ve never seen him play it.” Suddenly Baeden’s eyes lit up, “Do you know how to play it?” Lacey shrugged, “I don’t know. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.” Baeden smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to her on the bench. Lacey carefully lifted the hinged cover off of the keys and flexed her fingers. She placed her fingers on the keys and began to play. Baeden stared in amazement at how her fingers seemed to glide over the keys causing the most beautiful music to drift through the air. Lacey stopped playing for a moment and smiled. “I remember how to play the piano. I remember all those boring lessons learning to read music and play certain songs, and I also remember that I much preferred to play by ear.”  
Baeden scrunched his nose, “How do you play a piano with your ears?”

  
Lacey laughed, “It means that I can listen to a song and then play it later if I want to.”

  
Baeden nodded. “So you could play for me every day?”

  
Lacey smiled, “I suppose so, but your father’s piano is in desperate need of being tuned, and for that I will need a professional to come in.”

 

 

Chapter 5

 

  
Baeden seemed deep in thought as he sat at the kitchen table while Lacey worked on making him an after school snack. She sat the plate in front of him and asked, “What are you thinking about?” Baeden sighed sadly and looked up at her, “Do you know how to talk with your hands?” Lacey pursed her lips as she tried to decipher his meaning, “How do you mean?” Baeden looked wistful as he spoke, “There is a girl who sits next to me. She’s my best friend, my only friend. She’s really smart and she helps me with work, but she doesn’t hear good. She leaves an hour early each day to learn to talk with her hands, and I thought that if I could talk with my hands then we could talk together.” Lacey smiled, misty eyed she replied, “You mean sign language. People who can’t hear are deaf and they speak using sign language. I bet there are some videos on the internet that could show us the basics and then maybe we can find a class from there.” Baeden’s eyes lit up, “What are we waiting for?! I can’t wait to talk to Emma.” Lacey rubbed his cheek playfully, “So that’s the lucky lady’s name.” Baeden smiled and rolled his eyes, “She’s not a lady. She’s just a girl.”

  
Baeden had turned out to be a quick study and was spending nearly all of his free time studying videos and practicing stretching his fingers in to the correct shapes. Lacey had marveled at him, “You’ll be fluent in no time the way you’re applying yourself.” Baeden smiled, “This is so cool! There are signs that are the whole word. I don’t need to say all the letters, I just say the words!” Lacey held her tongue from telling him that most languages worked that way and instead smiled and ruffled his hair.  
One day Baeden had gleefully bounded over to Lacey and asked if he could invite Emma over to play on Saturday. Lacey had smiled and told him that she would have to ask his father, but then she had winked and told him not to worry because she was certain that she could get him to say yes.

 

Baeden had been a nervous ball of energy when Emma’s father had dropped her off, whereas Lacey had frowned in dismay as she saw Emma’s father David hold her face in his hands and practically shout at her that he would be back to get her at 5pm. Emma for her part didn’t seem bothered by the treatment and had happily taken Baeden’s hand and entered the pink Victorian. Baeden was smiling so broadly that Lacey thought he might hurt his cheeks as he tapped Emma on the shoulder and began to sign to her. Lacey had been studying along side Bae, and though she was not as proficient as he was, she did recognize that he told her that he loved her and that she was his best friend forever. Lacey felt her heart swell in pride only to feel it flutter in panic as Emma began to sob. Baeden quickly ran to get a tissue and began to wipe her tears away and try to soothe her with a hug. He then looked her in the eyes very contritely and asked, “Did I say it wrong?” A brilliant smile crossed Emma’s face and she pulled out a note pad and pencil from her little back pack. She quickly scribbled a note and handed it to Lacey. Lacey felt outrage as she read the note. Little Emma was so touched and happy that anyone would take the time to try to talk to her in sign language. Her own parents hadn’t found the time to take lessons. Lacey quickly got her emotions under control and explained to Baeden that Emma’s tears were happy ones. To which he happily took her by the hand to show her all of the videos he had been watching to try to learn sign language. As she watched them go, Lacey decided that she would try her hardest to learn the language as well because the thought of that sweet girl being overlooked and shouted at with no one taking the time to learn how to communicate with her, upset her to her core. No one should ever be overlooked. Lacey had a flash of memory of being forgotten and alone in a scary storm and she shook at the cold dread it left in its wake.

 

 

Chapter 6

 

  
Dresden Gold no longer dreaded coming home from work, and for the first time that he could remember he actually made an effort to close on time and get home. Usually Baeden spent his time off from school in the shop while his Papa worked, but he didn’t enjoy it much and Dresden found that it was harder to avoid feeling guilty about his short comings as a parent when his son was in such close proximity. So while he had worried about Lacey coming to live with them, she was really turning out to be a god send as an in home nanny. When Dresden arrived home each day, his son seemed genuinely happy to see him and had so many things he wanted to share about his day and all the amazing things that Lacey had taught him. The house itself was changed as well. The house felt like a real home for once. The yard was tidy and beautiful, there were fresh flowers on the table, and the home always felt warm and smelled delicious when he came in the door. Lacey had turned out to be an amazing cook and her meals were a very welcome reprieve from the premade and fast food meals that they had become used to.

 

 

Dresden had tried his best to stay distant and remain cold toward Lacey in an effort to brace himself for her inevitable departure, but he found himself beginning to hope that somehow, against the odds, she might choose to stay. That she might choose to make them a family. So he had begun to open up to her. At first he had felt like a fool when he asked her if she might want to watch a movie with him after she put Baeden to bed, but he had breathed a sigh of relief when she had said yes.

That night, as they sat in the dark with only the flickering light of the television illuminating their faces in an ethereal glow, she had leaned against him ever so slightly. He had gained some bravery from her movement, so he put his arm around her and felt his heart swell as she snuggled against him in response. He nuzzled her hair and she sighed happily in response. That night they had conveyed their blossoming feelings for each other and from then on their relationship changed. Now there were hugs and smiles, touches and caresses, special looks and longing. Dresden had thought that he and Lacey were being so covert about it, but apparently Baeden had noticed. One morning over breakfast he had looked at his father and asked point blank, “Are you and Lacey boyfriend and girlfriend?” to which Dresden had choked on his coffee.

 

Lacey had pretended that she hadn’t heard the question, but it was clear that her ears were perked. Dresden stuttered for a moment before finally composing his answer. “Lacey and I care for each other very much, so…yes, we are dating.” Baeden nodded, “So, how long do I have to wait until you get married?” Lacey stifled a chuckle as she watched Dresden seemingly forget how to breathe. She came to his rescue with the answer, “It’s hard to say Bae. All I can tell you is that when we are ready, we’ll know, and when we know, you’ll be the first person we tell.” Baeden seemed to consider, “So there isn’t a rule?” Lacey laughed, “No sweet pea, there isn’t a rule. Some people date a long time before they know and other people marry the same day they meet. It’s different for every one.”

  

Dresden felt a mixture of euphoria and nausea. Lacey had practically said yes to a wedding proposal that he hadn’t even made yet and the thought of her in a white dress wearing his ring was doing things to his chest and other regions that had him feeling as if the world was tilting. Unfortunately this feeling persisted and it became apparent that he had contracted a bad case of the flu.

 

Dresden felt terrible guilt at letting Lacey care for him, but it seemed that she genuinely wanted to, though he couldn’t fathom why. She had been at his side measuring his temperature and bringing his fever down by making his feet cold. She had been ever ready with the wastebasket, and never huffed at the request of ice chips, water, crackers, or broth. She had sat at his side and wiped his brow and read to him with the voice of an angel.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

  
Lacey was scared. The rational part of her mind told her that Dresden would be fine, but the rest of her could only see how frail he seemed now as he lay shaking in his bed. So she was already quite on edge when the phone rang, and doubly so when she saw that it was Baeden’s school. She answered it and felt her worry boil away into irritated annoyance. Apparently Baeden’s teacher and principal wanted a parent teacher conference afterschool and it had to be today. Lacey had explained that Dresden was far to ill to leave the house, but Baeden’s principal Ms. Blue was unmoved and had proceeded to make a comment alluding that Dresden was an uncaring parent and the obvious cause of Baeden’s behavior and remedial skills. That had done it. Lacey was going to destroy the woman.

 

Lacey had reassured Dresden that everything would be alright and that she was perfectly capable of handling a parent teacher conference and at last he reluctantly agreed and wished her luck against the harpy that was Ms. Blue.  
Lacey grabbed her bag, keys, and the cell phone that Dresden had gifted her and set out for the school. She had hoped that the walk might calm her down, but it had done little to ebb the rising tide of irritated annoyance within her.

 

  
She arrived at the school and made her way to Baeden’s class where his teacher Ms. Vidia and the principal Ms. Blue were waiting with Baeden. She introduced herself to Ms. Blue and felt her blood boil when she heard Ms. Vidia not so quietly whisper to Ms. Blue that “this is the live in girlfriend” to which they both shared a snide glance. Lacey took a protective stance behind Baeden and looked at the women sharply. “I think it’s best that Baeden not be present for this conversation.” Ms. Blue smirked ever so slightly, “You think it’s best? I see no reason why he shouldn’t be here. After all it isn’t as if he is not already aware of his short comings.”

Lacey glowered at the women, “As I’m sure you are both aware, I am listed as a responsible party in his records. And while you both may be under the misconception that you are serving as his advocate at this meeting, it’s obvious to me that I’m the only one who truly is.” The two other women gaped at Lacey and then began to scowl. Lacey knew that what they were about to say was not going to be pleasant, so she stopped them with a hand. “Before we continue…” She turned to Baeden and took him by the hand. She led him to a corner of the room with a window and turned a chair to face it. She had him sit down and retrieved a small music player from her purse (a present from Dresden, so that she could listen to music when she walked to Baeden’s school to pick him up in the afternoons). She helped Baeden to put the earbuds in and then set the player to play music from Carmen and La Traviata. She told Baeden to look out the window and listen to the music until the meeting was over. Baeden could see from Lacey’s dark expression that this was an order and not a request, so he nodded and did as he was told, grateful not to be on the receiving end of whatever wrath she was about to unleash.

 

Lacey turned back to the women. “Now I’m going to let you both tell me what areas you would like Baeden to improve on.”

 

  
Ms. Vidia stepped forward and spoke very matter of factly, “Baeden is far too remedial to be in my class. He can’t read at all, doesn’t finish the in class work, and I just don’t think he is capable of learning.”

 

  
Lacey nearly growled, “Not capable of learning?”

 

  
Ms. Blue stepped forward and waved her hands as if washing them of the whole matter. “The child is far too stubborn to be taught. Measures have been taken to remedy his behavior and no improvement has been seen. Clearly his home life is to blame.”  
Lacey had to clench her fists to keep from clawing the woman to pieces. “What measures have you taken?”  
Ms. Blue sighed, “He has lost his recess privileges, his library privileges, and his art time.”

 

 

Lacey stepped forward and continued to do so until she was sure that she was in the women’s personal space. Ms. Vidia took a step back, but Ms. Blue held her ground. Lacey’s voice was calm and clinical and somehow all the more terrifying for its restraint. “This meeting is supposed to be focused on Baeden, so let’s do that for a moment, since it’s obvious that neither of you have ever done so.” She walked over to two desks pushed away from all of the others, sitting in the back of the class, and turned to face the wall. She pointed to the nameplates taped upon the surfaces. “You have Baeden and Emma seated away from the group and turned so that they have to crane their necks to see you teach.” She walked to a wall where a poster titled ‘Miss Vidia’s Shooting Stars’ hung. “You have a chart prominently displayed that shows students ranking according to grades and you’ve placed Baeden and Emma’s stars so far down that they are off of the chart.” Lacey turned back to the women, “Everything about this classroom sends the message to these children that they aren’t cared for. The only motivation that I see you using is embarrassment. You tell me that Baeden is remedial, very well, show me what scaffolding you have in place to help him.” Ms. Vidia began to stutter and struggle for words as Lacey strode slowly toward her like a lioness about to pounce. “There isn’t any, is there? How about differentiated lessons? What plan do you have in place to get him to grade level? I suppose you think he should already be there, as if children just learn through osmosis.” Lacey then turned on Ms. Blue, “And you! You take away a child’s opportunity to socialize and then wonder why they are anti-social. You take away a child’s access to literature and wonder why they are illiterate. You take away a child’s opportunity to be creative and wonder why they are bored out of their minds. You two are about as nurturing as a rock.” With that said, Lacey took Baeden by the hand and strode out of the school and started for home. They walked in silence for awhile until Baeden finally spoke, “So…am I kicked out?” Lacey stopped and looked down at him, “No. They’re fired.” Baeden scrunched his nose in confusion, but Lacey was dragging him along once more.

 

Lacey sat Baeden down in front of the television, put on a movie, and gave him a snack. She then made her way to Dresden’s room and sat down in the chair at the side of his bed. He looked up at her and asked how the meeting went. Lacey opened her mouth to speak and sobbed. She felt like a shook up bottle of soda. She just wanted to be held and whispered to, and to her great relief Dresden seemed to sense that. He held her until she began to calm down and she was finally able to tell him about the terrible meeting. He soothed her with soft touches and whispered assurances. Then he looked her in the eyes incredulously and shook his head, “I just don’t understand why this bothered you so much.” Lacey looked back at him with confusion plain on her face. “How could it not bother me?! Those…harpies! Seeing how they treat Bae… I just want to hold him in my arms and hide in the house with the both of you for the rest of eternity.” Lacey looked upset as she added, “Doesn’t it bother you?”  
Dresden looked up at her speechless. He was about to say, yes but he’s my son; but then he realized that Lacey thought of him the same way. She saw herself as Baeden’s mother, and Dresden found that he was also beginning to see her in that way. She was the mother that he had always wanted for his son, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel his chest ache because he would never be deserving of such a woman as his wife.

 

 

“Dresden?” Lacey ran her hand over his forehead, clearly concerned that his inability to answer her question was due to some kind of illness complication. Dresden reached out with his own hand and caressed her cheek. “I love you.” Lacey’s eyes softened, “I love you too.”

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 It hadn’t taken any convincing to get Dresden to give his blessing to Lacey homeschooling Baeden, though it had taken some to get him to give his blessing to Lacey homeschooling Emma as well. Though any concerns Dresden had about the arrangement evaporated when he saw how excited Baeden had become at the news.

 

It had taken some doing on Lacey’s part to get David and Snow to allow her to homeschool Emma. Lacey urged them to put their daughter first, but they believed that making her attend public school was her best chance for being prepared to live in a world that was harsh. Lacey had zeroed in on David, sensing that he was the more reasonable of the two, and had asked him point blank if he truly believed that leaving his daughter in a school where she faced a wall and was given no one on one attention was his daughter’s best chance. David’s resolve had cracked then. She could see that he was grasping for a reason to say no as he spoke, “Private options are too expensive. You undoubtedly will want to be paid for your services and my wife and I…”  
Lacey interjected, “The only money I’ll need is for her supplies and lunch, assuming you don’t mind me making her lunch.”  
David struggled for words, “Well…um…still…”  
Lacey continued, “You need only pay me what you think your daughter’s education is worth.”

 

 

That first Monday of homeschooling David showed up and handed Emma off to Lacey, as well as one hundred dollars for the month. Lacey smiled and shut the door, honestly surprised that he had given her any money at all.  
Their lessons went well and in a matter of weeks, both children were quickly approaching grade level. In addition to academics, she taught both children how to garden and care for plants, to cook and clean, as well as play the piano. Piano lessons were especially interesting because she loved to see the exchanges between Bae (who was becoming fond of playing by ear) and Emma (who loved reading sheet music and composing). As their lessons went on, she could see that Bae was helping Emma to be more improvisational, while Emma was getting Bae to slow down and think about the music he was making.

 

 

The three of them continued to work on their sign language fluency and Lacey was thrilled when Emma’s sign language teacher Ariel Fishman agreed to give them all private lessons. Ariel was a wonderful teacher and quickly became a close friend and confidant to Lacey. Lacey and Ariel would sit and talk over tea regularly about life and their pasts, or in Lacey’s case lack of one. Ariel was a good listener, a skill she picked up from a childhood of being mute. As a child, she had suffered damage to her vocal chords that left her unable to speak. As she reached adult hood, she opted for surgery in the hopes of regaining her speaking ability and it was successful. The only lingering reminder of her past being a scar on her neck and a slightly high pitched girlish voice.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

Gaston was frustrated and furious. It had been months and still he had no money, and what little he had left of his own money was being wasted on fighting off Rosabelle’s lawyer who kept arguing that not only was his marriage to Razzie not valid, but that he had killed her! Technically he had, but he had been careful. He just needed them to find the body. It would only show signs of drowning and alcohol, he had made sure of that when he chose his sedative. He had paid off the captain of the ship well to lie that they had been married off the coast of Maine rather than New York, and he was positive that he could win over a courtroom, after all he was so very charming. He’d argue that valid or not, they were married as she had made her intention to be his wife clear. That her death, though tragic, was a blameless accident. But dammit where was the body! If it couldn’t be found it would take nearly a decade to have her declared dead, and his money wouldn’t hold out that long and there was no way to move on to another mark until he sorted this whole thing out. So Gaston decided he would go to the port of Storybrooke and investigate on his own. He arrived in town late in the day and decided to start his search at the hospital. He couldn’t get any of the medical staff to talk, but found some luck with the security guard who said he remembered seeing her months ago with a local man called Mr. Gold. Gaston’s mind began to whir. So she was alive after all, but then why has she not come forward? Well, whatever the reason Gaston was going to make sure that she never did.

 

  
***

   
It had been nearly four months since Lacey had come into his life. Sometimes it felt like only days and other times it felt like an eternity. Dresden looked out the window of his antiquities shop and sighed. It was finally beginning to look like spring and he couldn’t get the fantasy of Lacey in a soft flowy dress twirling about in the sunshine out of his mind. He took a deep breath and turned his open sign to closed. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called up his tenant Ms. Lucus and arranged for her granddaughter Ruby to come and babysit Bae so that he could take Lacey out on a proper date. He walked over to the counter where he kept jewelry acquisitions and selected a simple yet elegant necklace of a small golden heart on a matching golden chain as well as a dainty gold ring with diamond chips surrounded in delicate leaf designs and placed them in a velvet pouch. He then set off for home, stopping by the clothing store down the street and quickly purchasing a lovely spring dress for Lacey (flowy and boat necked, flared at the bottom that would come just to her knees and a brilliant blue to match her eyes), he then purchased a thin white belt to show off her lovely waist, a soft white cardigan with three quarter sleeves to go over the sleeveless 50’s style dress, a pair of sparkling silver pumps with top straps that latched with silver buckles, and a gold hair clip shaped like a bird in flight. The sales girl gaped at his purchases, but quickly rang him up all the same. He grabbed his bag and quickly stopped into the next store which was the town’s bakery. He purchased two gourmet sandwiches, a large salad to share, a liter of lemonade, and a bowl of fresh fruit and then set off for home.

 

 

Dresden arrived home just as Ruby rode up on her bike. Lacey met them at the door with a bemused look of confusion on her face. “What’s going on?”  
Dresden smiled as he waved Ruby in ahead of them. “You and I are going on a date while Bae has a fun night in with Ruby.” Bae perked up at the sound of his name, “You’re gonna stay with me Ruby?”

  
Ruby walked over and ruffled his head, “That’s right. We’re going to eat pizza and watch movies.” Ruby flashed two movie box envelopes at him. “I stopped by the machine on my way here, but pretty much everything was sold out. So, I got the last two kid movies left.” She looked down at the envelopes and raised an eyebrow at the names. “The Legend of Titanic, and the sequel In Search of the Titanic. Huh. This is going to be  an interesting night.”

 

Dresden led Lacey toward the downstairs bathroom and gave her the gifts he had brought. Lacey gaped at the gifts as if he had brought her a treasure chest. “This is… it’s all so gorgeous, but…it’s too much.” Dresden brushed a curl from her face, “You remember when you told Bae that people know when they’ve found true love, when they’ve developed a bond that stretches but cannot be broken?” Lacey blushed and breathily answered, “Yes, but I don’t remember wording it so eloquently.” Dresden smiled, “I wanted to wait to ask you this, but this feels like the right time, even if it isn’t as well orchestrated as I would have liked.” He retrieved the dainty ring from his pocket and held it before her wide eyes. “I know that this is crazy, our whole relationship has been stranger than fiction, and it’s wrong of me to ask you to tie your future to me when you haven’t yet recovered your past, but…” Lacey grabbed him by his pixie ears and pulled him down for a passionate kiss, stopping his train of thought in its tracks. Her voice was breathy and passionate as she whispered against his lips, “Marry me Dresden Gold. My knight in shining armor, my king, my salvation, marry me.”

  
Dresden felt a tightening in his stomach and a tell tale tug in his groin. He groaned, “But your past…” “Is in the past,” she whispered, “I’ll make new memories.” He held her to him and kissed her passionately before reluctantly pulling himself away. She whimpered at the loss of him, but smiled as he slipped the ring on her finger. Dresden closed his eyes and licked his lips, “My dear, you are doing things to me that are going to keep us from our date.” Lacey blushed, “You’re right. Why don’t you go and warm up the car and I’ll change in here real quick.” She gently turned him and gave a small shove of him out the door. He quickly threw the few things they would need in addition to their meal in to a basket and headed to the car.

In no time at all Lacey strode out and was a vision to behold as the orange and pink of dusk colored the sky and glowed around her. They headed to the marina and sat on the dock. They enjoyed their meal and began to stroll as the marina lights began to illuminate the fog drifting in. The fog horn rang out through the stillness of the fog and Belle shivered. Dresden put his arm around her a little tighter, “Are you cold?” Lacey turned and pushed her head to his chest. “Lacey? What’s wrong?” The girl that had been Lacey looked up at him with red rimmed eyes ready to cry and whispered, “I remember.”

 

Dresden had nodded solemnly and led them to a bench. He had known this would happen. He had known better than to become attached, but he couldn’t help himself in the end. He would let her talk, she needed support now more than ever. He would be here for her as long as she needed and give her up when she was ready to go. She stared off at the calm ripples of the water and told him her story, starting with her name. Rosabelle. “Rosabelle.” He tried the name out, finding that it didn’t sound right on his lips as he looked at her. She smiled sadly and whispered, “I’ve always wanted to be just Belle, but I was never able to get it to stick.” “Belle.” He repeated and found that this time it rang true, and coming off of his lips as he looked at her he couldn’t imagine her being called anything else. She told him of her childhood and he winced as he recognized similarities between her childhood and his own terrible youth. He continued to listen, but found himself straining to hear the words he was bracing for ‘I don’t belong here, I have to go’, but the words never came. Instead came the story of a wedding that never was, to a monster in disguise, a return from certain death, a dramatic escape, and salvation in the arms of an unlikely hero.

Belle turned in her seat and nearly fell into his lap as she began to hyperventilate. She hugged his midsection tightly and it took a bit of a struggle to loosen her grip and get her into his arms. Once he had accomplished it he shushed and cooed in her ear until she began to calm and dried her eyes with his thumbs. “It’s alright,” his voice was calm and reassuring. “He hasn’t found you yet. You notified your lawyer. I’ll notify mine and the police and everything will be fine.”

Belle was trembling and her lip began to wibble, “Oh Dresden! I’m so scared. I thought I knew him, but for him to do what he did…who knows what he’s capable of? He could come for you. For Bae!” Dresden shook his head and held her with a hand on each of her cheeks, “No one is coming after us. You are safe. We are safe.” She nodded and they began to walk back to where Dresden’s car was parked.

 

  
***

 

  
Gaston had stumbled upon his prey quite by accident. He had been heading back to where his boat (technically Razzie’s boat) was docked when he saw her on the arm of an older man. He had just registered it was her when he saw fear flicker across her face and saw her shout to the man she was with. Shit! Gaston grabbed his gun from its concealed pant leg holster and fired a shot toward the water. “The next one goes in his back Razzie!” That got her attention as she and the man she was with stopped running and turned back to face him.

 

  
***

 

  
Belle felt she might die from terror as she heard the shot and Gaston’s menacing voice. Dresden pushed her behind him as Gaston continued to shout down the empty dock. “Now then, you left me with a shit storm to deal with and it ends now Razzie.” Dresden snarled, “I won’t let you harm her!” Gaston gave one of his charming looks and replied, “No one has to get hurt here.” He turned his gaze to Belle while keeping his gun trained on Dresden, “If you come with me Razzie, your friend Mr. Gold and his little boy (noticing her face color with horror he pushed the point) oh I know all about the little guy and it would be a shame if something were to happen to either of them or perhaps both of them.” A strangled scream left her lips as she began to collapse to the ground. Dresden turned and held her tight with his back to Gaston. He whispered to her, “Don’t listen to him Belle. I’m going to rush him and when I do I need you to run in the other direction as fast as you can and don’t stop until you get to the dock master’s quarters.” Belle shook terribly and began to sob, “No, no…”

 

 

Gaston was becoming impatient. He wanted Belle dead, but she needed to drown. It all depended on her drowning. Perhaps he could still get away with it. It wouldn’t take long for her to decompose in the ocean and her skull and a few bones should be enough right? As he was contemplating this he found himself harshly being drawn back to the present as the man who was with her seemed to leap forward with all the force of a silver back gorilla. Gaston couldn’t think fast enough and only pulled the trigger after the man had whacked him in the knees with his hard wood cane. The bullet shot off into the air as Gaston and Mr. Gold fell to the ground. They struggled with each other and Gold seemed to give up on getting Gaston to drop the gun in favor of choking the life out of him with his cane, which was turning out to be an excellent strategy as Gaston struggled to fight against the stars dancing before his eyes. He turned his head and through bleary eyes, he saw Razzie trip trapping in her heels on the dock moving further away. She was getting away! He aimed as best he could and took his shot before darkness took him.

 

 Dresden relaxed a bit as he felt the man go limp beneath him. He stood up then and gave the man a swift hit to the head for good measure before kicking away the smoking gun from his hand. He turned to look down the dock, expecting Belle to have reached the dock master’s quarters only to stumble forward in shock as he saw Belle lying face down on the rough wood planks. He continued to force his body to move in loping steps until he reached her at last and fell to his knees, ignoring the shooting pain as they made contact with the dock. “BELLE!” he screamed her name as he saw the dark crimson lake that was spreading along her back and would forever mar the soft white cardigan he had gifted her. He rolled her over and pulled her to sit up, holding her protectively in his arms. He brought his hand up to brush the curls from her face and shuddered as he saw her blood sheeting off of his hand. He shook and couldn’t speak as he held her and struggled to regain logical thought. Thankfully the dock master had come to investigate all the noise and police and ambulance had been summoned.

 

Dresden refused to be parted from her in the ambulance and had snarled at the hospital staff before being assured that he would be shown to her room as soon as she was stabilized. He filled out her paper work and signed off that he would pay for all of her care. He was working off of pure adrenaline as he called home and told Ruby what had happened. She had told him not to worry. That she would stay with Bae and take him to stay with her and Granny. He was still and stony as he sat and waited. He could do this. He could be her rock, but then they had given him her belongings and he had crumbled as he saw the sealed bag that held her necklace, hair clip, and ring. It was a small mercy that he was alone in this particular waiting area so that he need not share his emotions with anyone. He had once again recovered his stony silence as the hours ticked on, when a slight young woman with a kind face stepped forward. He could tell from her athletic shoes and light blue scrubs that she was probably a nurse. He looked up at her with his tired eyes. She sighed sadly and held her hand out to him, “My name’s Astrid. I don’t mean to insult or upset you, but since you are the only one here and…well, I thought you might benefit from a shower.” He simply continued to stare up at her. She nibbled on her lip a little hesitantly and then pulled him up on to his feet. He let himself be led to a shower area attached to the nurses’ locker room and half listened as the girl explained the shower, gave him a bag for his clothes, and showed him a little cubby he could keep them in. She left him to shower and set a towel and spare scrubs out for him to wear. He simply stood under the steaming water for awhile and watched as the blood on his hands began to thin and run down the drain in a ruddy spiral. Then all at once, with no warning at all he felt himself break, like a puppet whose strings have been cut, he fell to the cool tiled floor and sobbed once more.

 

  
Astrid listened to the man’s sobs from the adjacent row of lockers. She sensed he needed this time to let it out. To figuratively wash the pain away. So she simply stood there and listened. After a time he seemed to calm and she heard the water turn off. She waited a few moments and then peeked around the corner in time to see him pull his shirt on. He grabbed his things and walked over to where she stood. He sighed, “Thank you, for this.” She nodded and led him out and to a chair. “I’m going to find out what’s going on for you.” She squeezed his hand and left.

 

  
Time seemed to move differently now. Perhaps all hospitals have their own rules regarding time that don’t match up with the rest of reality. At last Astrid returned. “She’s stable and they are going to be bringing her to a room. I’m going to take you down first so you can be there when they bring her in.” She led him to the private room and began to move the cushions on the stiff couch under the window. “This couch turns into a cot. It isn’t terribly comfortable, but it’s better than the waiting room chairs.” He took her hand as she went to leave and squeezed it gently. “Thank you.” She nodded and whispered back, “You’re very welcome.”

 

 

Belle was wheeled in with all manner of machines and tubes attached. There was a flurry of activity as they settled her in and hung up bags of intravenous fluids. Then all at once they were gone. The lights had been dimmed and the sky outside was dark. He supposed it was the wee hours of the morning, but he couldn’t be sure. He pulled the curtains shut and looked down upon her. Belle. She was still Lacey, but she was so much more now. He had thought that she would be two different people somehow. He had let himself believe that she had come into existence the moment he saw her, as daft as that belief seemed now. He had never dared to think that perhaps she really was the woman he fell in love with. From the start she had seemed like something out of a fairytale. A damsel as his son had labeled her, and he had been so sure that someone as amazingly wonderful as she could never truly be real, but now that she was Belle she seemed even more…he sighed she was far too good for him. A true princess in need of a true hero, not an ageing spinster with a bum leg. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. As he pulled away he froze as brilliant blue eyes gazed up at him. He called up the nurses’ station and Astrid came straight a way. She took Belle’s vitals and gave her ice chips and left them both so as to afford them privacy.  
Belle was looking at him like he was the most important person in all the world rather than the failed hero he truly was. Her hand constantly searched his out and though he had thought himself uncappable of sleeping on the rock of a cot in her room, he found that the warmth of her hand in his own made it possible.

 

 

The next day many of the machines were removed and the doctor marveled at her chart. Words like miraculous and magic were thrown around and as Astrid brought a dinner tray to Belle and an extra one for Dresden she smiled and announced that the word going around was that Belle was going to be discharged in the morning. Everyone seemed thrilled about this news, but Dresden wanted to scream. She was shot! I held her in my arms. I still see her blood on my hands. How can you just send her back out into the world?!

 

 

That next morning her things were packed and put in his arms and he found himself following behind as Astrid pushed Belle’s wheelchair toward his car. Dresden felt utter dread. As they passed by a young couple with their new baby understanding clicked in his head. This was how he had felt when he left the hospital with Baeden. How can these people simply give me this precious person and expect me to protect them from the world on my own?! He had already failed Belle once! He didn’t speak as he drove them home. He needed all of his focus to drive. He could feel Belle’s eyes upon him, but he dare not look at her. One sideways glance could cause an accident and his Belle was so very fragile.

 

  
Belle was worried. Dresden had been so quiet. So very distant. At least he had stayed with her, so perhaps things were not as bad as she feared. She just wished he would talk to her. She wished she knew why she felt so lonely in his presence. And why was he driving so slow? She looked out the window at the scenery passing by and noted that they were probably going no faster than 15 miles per hour. She looked back to where Dresden sat with his eyes glued to the road and his hands white knuckled on the steering wheel. Realization dawned on her then. He’s worried about our safety, but…Gaston had died. At least that is what she had been told. Had he lied to her?

 

  
They arrived home and Dresden came around to her side of the car and opened the door. He knelt down before her and before she could ask him what he was doing, he pulled out her bag of jewelry and retrieved the ring from within. A broad grin crossed her face. “My engagement ring. I had feared it was lost.” He gave her a tired smile and placed it on her finger before kissing her hand. He then helped her out of the car and to her feet. He made to carry her inside but she assured him that she was quite capable of walking. She had been incredibly lucky. The bullet hadn’t caused any traumatic internal damage. It had been through and through, and though they had struggled with her blood loss in the beginning, she was quickly on her way to a full recovery. They made it in to the house and he helped Belle to clean up and change into some comfortable clothes. She put on the necklace and the hair clip that he had given her and smiled as she remembered that moment in the bathroom. Ruby and Granny had promised to keep Bae until the following day so that she could get some rest, and she was determined to spend the time getting Dresden to talk to her.  
She walked out of the bathroom and saw him sigh in relief. He sprang up and rushed to her as if he feared she were about to fall and gently took her hand asking if she would like to rest or sit up. Belle allowed him to hold her as she told him that she would like to sit on the couch with him for a while. They sat down and she took a deep breath. “Is Gaston really dead?” Dresden put his arm around her and pulled her to rest her head on his shoulder, “Yes darling. He can’t hurt you. You’re safe.” Belle took his other hand in to her own and pulled it into her lap. “Then why are you so afraid? You’re too quiet. You stare off at nothing and don’t share your thoughts. You seem so on edge. Why?”  
Dresden sighed, “Oh Belle. I love you and Bae so much. You both are my world and I couldn’t bear it if something happened to either of you.” He began to shake with tears as he continued, “I was supposed to protect you. You called me your hero and I let you get shot.” Belle turned to face him wincing as she did so and eliciting a gasp from him as he fluttered his hands in uncertainty. She stayed him with a hand to the chest and spoke. “You didn’t let me get shot. Gaston shot me. You threw yourself at him. You vanquished him. You are the bravest person I have ever known.” Dresden shook his head as he continued to cry, so Belle took his face in her hands. “Life will continue to happen as it always has and what does or doesn’t happen to me is not solely up to you.” Dresden saw the sense in her words, but he still felt guilt and shame for reasons he couldn’t quite name. Nevertheless, he nodded his agreement and kissed her.

 

  
Chapter 10

 

Dresden was finally beginning to feel more at ease. His loved ones were safe and warm, they were home, and he was with them. Bae had been thrilled that Belle was on the mend and over the moon when he found out she and his father were going to be married. He had eagerly asked Belle upon hearing the news when she would officially become his mother. “Does it happen at midnight like on New Year’s Eve? Is it the day you get married or the next day like how you don’t get to open Christmas presents until morning?” Belle had laughed and told him that she was already his mother, and that she had been since the day they met. Bae stared at her for a moment and then began to cry, “I’ve had a mama this whole time and didn’t know?” Belle knelt down and took the boy in her arms. “Hey now, why tears?” she crooned as she slowly began to rock him. He sniffled, “I wished for a mama every night and I promised that I would be the bestest son and give her flowers every day and make her presents and keep her safe and always tell her I love her and I didn’t even know I had my wish and now I do and I gave you flowers sometimes, but not every day and I drew you some pictures, but they don’t count as presents…” the poor boy was babbling and hiccupping as tears continued to stream down his face. Belle couldn’t help but feel her eyes prick at the sight of him, like father like son. She supposed she would have to get used to having to protective boys in her life.  
She led him to the couch and grabbed the dish towel from the kitchen, wetting a corner slightly under the tap. She returned and wiped his eyes and face. “There now. No more tears baby.” Baeden sniffled, “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.” Belle hugged him close, “Oh sweet pea, it just means that I love you like a baby. I want to hold you and keep you safe. No matter how big you get, mama will always want to hold you and protect you.” Belle cooed as she continued to rock him. Baeden looked up at her with love filled eyes, “Mama?”  
Belle smiled, “Yes baby?” Baeden hugged her tight, “I love you.” Belle held him back and kissed his head, “I love you too sweet pea.”

 

  
The wedding was simple and the guests were few. They planned to have a honeymoon at home while Bae stayed with Granny and Ruby for a week. Dresden couldn’t help but smile constantly. Happiness just seemed to boil within him, seeping out of his very pores. Everything had been perfect, but now as they settled into the quiet of their home on their wedding night, he couldn’t help but feel a little remorseful. Belle sensed his unease and lifted his head with a warm and gentle hand. “What’s wrong?”  
Dresden shrugged, “I know that we agreed that gifts weren’t necessary. After all, we are both so well off we don’t really want for anything, but you’ve given me so much. Happiness, a family…I just wish that I could give you something in return.” Belle smiled, “Oh Dresden, how could you think you haven’t given me the same?” Suddenly a coy smile crossed her face, “You know, there is something that you could give me. Something that only you can give me.” Dresden looked puzzled as he asked, “What is it?” Belle smiled as she placed her hands firmly on his chest and whispered, “A little girl.” Dresden pulled her into his arms and murmured into her hair, “As my lady wishes.”

 

  
Chapter 11

 

  
“Mama, tell me the story about the princess.” Desdemona curled up in her mother’s lap and sighed in contentment as her mother pulled the soft quilt around them. Belle smiled as she rubbed her cheek on her daughter’s soft hair. “Which princess sweetness?” Desdemona smiled and looked at her mother as if the answer was as obvious as the nose on her face. “The one about the princess who loses her memories because of an evil man who wants to steal her crown, and then she gets locked in a tower, but the brave knight and his son rescue the princess in disguise and hide her in their house, and she and the knight were going to get married and live happy ever after, but that made the evil man mad so he tried to kill her, and the knight fought the evil man and defeated him, but the princess got hurt really bad and had to go to hospital, but then the knight kissed her and she magically woke up and got better and they lived happy ever after.” Belle chuckled, “Oh that princess.” Desdemona giggled, “Silly mama! You know that’s my favorite story.” Dresden leaned over the couch and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s head. “It’s my favorite too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering creating a swanfire spinoff from this story, but it will probably just be one shots since I don't have a plot in mind. If there is something you'd like to see happen between them, drop me a message her or on tumblr and I'll add it to my mountain of wips :)
> 
> Also, the two movies that Ruby brings to watch with Bae are real and are probably the number one and two worst children's animated movies in English :/ They are sooo bad. And there is an octopus with a heart nose like a kitty and it bothers me. It also bother's me that he is strong enough to hold the Titanic together in the first film, but then not able to lift up the mini sub in the second film... although, that issue is admittedly very low on the list when it comes to these two movies.


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